Earn the required 20 CPEs per year for ISC2 or ISACA certifications without paying any fees

Do you want to get earn the required 20 CPEs for FREE? If so, then you came to the right place. You don't have to pay a cent but you do have to spend time listening to the free webcasts provided by a couple of InfoSec magazine sites. You also might need to answer a few questions to earn the CPEs.

Here's a few sites with free webcasts where you can earn CPEs. Most of the webcasts are about an hour and 1 CPE is provided once you pass a quiz.
Information Security Magazine - US site: http://www.infosecurity-us.com/webinars/
Information Security Magazine - UK site: http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/webinars/
SC Magazine - US site: http://www.scmagazineus.com/vendor-webcasts/section/145/

The webcasts are informative and the CPEs for most of them can be used for ISC2 and ISACA. Please make sure to keep a copy of your CPE certificates just in case you get audited for the event.

Information Security (InfoSec) Jobs - June 2009

My last posting about InfoSec jobs was about 3 months ago. Let's take a look at the demand for InfoSec professionals.

Similar to my previous post, I used the InfoSec certification abbreviations as a search string and did not specify any U.S. city or zip code and came up the following numbers.

CareerBuilder.com
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) - 1847
Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) - 1534
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) - 412
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) - 335
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) - 115
Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) - 76
Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) - 62
Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) - 28
GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC) - 25
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) - 17
Security Certified Network Architect (SCNA) - 10
Security Certified Network Professional (SCNP) - 9
Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) - 8
Certified Wireless Security Professional (CWSP) - 2

DICE.com
CCNA - 744
CISSP - 769
CCNP - 511
CISA - 201
GIAC - 145
CISM - 161
CCSP - 104
SSCP - 50
GSEC - 42
CEH - 39
SCNA - 32
SCNP - 15
CHFI - 2

Monster.com
CISSP - 838
CCNA - 659
CISA - 444
CCNP - 426
CISM - 152
GIAC - 103
CCSP - 68
GSEC - 47
SSCP - 46
CEH - 32
SCNA - 18
SCNP - 17
CHFI - 10
CWSP - 2

Hotjobs.com
CCNA - 249
CISSP - 237
CCNP - 172
CISA - 110
CISM - 48
GIAC - 38
CCSP - 30
GSEC - 14
SSCP - 9
CEH - 5
SCNA - 5
CWSP - 3
SCNP - 1
CHFI - 1

Please note though that this is just a count of the strings on the websites so this cannot represent the actual number of job openings. A company can post their job opening on the 3 websites below and it will be counted as 3 (one for each site below) instead of 1. Also, some jobs list several certifications on their posting, e.g. CISSP, CISA, CEH certified, so an open position with this criteria will have a count for each of the InfoSec certification listed, i.e. 1 for CISSP, 1 for CISA and 1 for CEH, even though the open position is only 1.

The job search results for CareerBuilder and Dice websites only listed the jobs posted within the last 30 days while Monster showed jobs for the last 60 days and Hotjobs is showing any open position on it's database. I will try to create another count in about a month so. Please let me know if you want me to add other InfoSec certifications or other job hunting websites on the list.

CPE opportunity - Financial Information Security Decisions

A Financial Information Security Decisions seminar will be held in New York on June 9, 2009 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. The seminar starts at 7:00am and ends around 4:00pm. The seminar is free so register early.

You can earn 1 CPE credit for every session you attend. The seminar has general sessions topics and you can select any session from two tracks: (1) Governance, Risk and Compliance and (2) Practical Technology Solutions. The sessions are as follows:

General Sessions:

• Justice, Victim Corporations and Cybercriminals
• The State of Security Today

Track 1: Governance, Risk and Compliance Sessions:

• How to Evolve Your Compliance Program As Technologies and Mandates Change
• Managing Third-Party Risk
• FFIEC Guidance for Remote Deposit Capture: What is Expected of You
• Red Flag Rules and Preparing For New Regulations

Track 2: Practical Technology Solutions Sessions:

• Pragmatic Data Security
• Reality Check: Emerging Internet Security Threats in 2009
• Identity Management Solutions and Today's Environment
• Cloud Computing: Security Risks and Compliance Implications
  

Visit this website for registration and more details.

SecureWorld Expo

A SecureWorld Expo will be held in Philadelphia on May 6-7, 2009 at the Valley Forge Convention Center. SecureWorld Expo is a gathering of security leaders, experts, senior executive and policy makers.

The event has 3 categories:

• Exhibits/Open Sessions - The entrance is free and it includes access to the Exhibit floor, Keynote sessions, Open Conference Sessions, Vendor Presentations and Industry Expert Panels.
• Two Day Conference - The registration cost for this is $245. Aside from the things mentioned above, the attendee is given access to all Conference Sessions. Lunch and a 12 CPE certificate are included in this type of pass.
• SecureWorld + - The registration cost for this is $695. The attendee is given an additional extensive training track built around a specific subject. Lunch and a 16 CPE certificate are included in this type of pass.
  

If you want to find out more or want to register for the Expo, please visit their site at http://www.secureworldexpo.com.

The Internet Is Infected - 60 minutes video

Here's a very informative video about viruses, malware and worms and how it affects us.

Watch CBS Videos Online

InfoSec Jobs - February 2009

Similar to my previous post, this is a count of the open InfoSec jobs on well-known job hunting sites. I have added hotjobs.com on the list.

I used the InfoSec certification abbreviations as a search string and did not specify any U.S. city or zip code and came up the following numbers.

CareerBuilder.com
CCNA - 1379
CISSP - 402
CISA - 344
CISM - 68
GIAC - 67
SSCP - 22
GSEC - 16
CEH - 11

DICE.com
CCNA - 761
CISSP - 730
CISA - 195
GIAC - 136
CISM - 133
GSEC - 63
SSCP - 52
CEH - 26

Monster.com
CISSP - 697
CCNA - 663
CISA - 491
CISM - 114
GIAC - 91
SSCP - 58
GSEC - 38
CEH - 23

Hotjobs.com
CISSP - 227
CCNA - 222
CISM - 162
CISA - 149
GIAC - 24
SSCP - 18
GSEC - 13
CEH - 6

Please note though that this is just a count of the strings on the websites so this cannot represent the actual number of job openings. A company can post their job opening on the 3 websites below and it will be counted as 3 (one for each site below) instead of 1. Also, some jobs list several certifications on their posting, e.g. CISSP, CISA, CEH certified, so an open position with this criteria will have a count for each of the InfoSec certification listed, i.e. 1 for CISSP, 1 for CISA and 1 for CEH, even though the open position is only 1.

The job search results for CareerBuilder and Dice websites only listed the jobs posted within the last 30 days while Monster showed jobs for the last 60 days and Hotjobs is showing any open position on it's database. I will try to create another count in about a month so. Please let me know if you want me to add other InfoSec certifications or other job hunting websites on the list.

ISACA e-Symposium - January 2009

For ISACA members.

ISACA is having its e-Symposium about "Effectively Managing Risk in Today's Economy" next week on January 27, 2009 (Tuesday) at 11:00am - 2:00pm EST / 4:00pm - 7:00pm UTC. To register, please visit http://isaca.brighttalk.com.

You'll have the opportunity to earn 3 CPE credits. Look for the CPE quiz link.

ISC2 InfoSecurity Professional Magazine and e-Symposium

For all ISC2 members:

The 2008 Winter Issue of the InfoSecurity Professional Magazine is available for viewing at the ISC2 website. You have a chance to earn 2 CPE credits by reading the magazine and correctly answering the online quiz questions. The magazine is available exclusively for ISC2 members only.

On the e-Symposium note, ISC2 is having the e-Symposium today, January 20, on "Automation and Compliance - A Partnership for Success." The presentations will start at 1:30pm EST / 6:30pm GMT/UTC. To register, please visit http://isc2.brighttalk.com.

You also have the opportunity to gain 3 CPE credits. Look for the CPE quiz link. I believe this will be available once all the presentations are completed. The e-Symposium is being recorded and will be available on the website above after 72 hours of the scheduled date.

InfoSec Jobs

We all know that a lot of people lost their jobs because of the difficult U.S. economic conditions. I got interested in searching for a list of jobs looking for InfoSec certified professionals and checked 3 of the well-known sites for job hunting. I used the InfoSec certification abbreviations as a search string and did not specify any U.S. city or zip code and came up the following numbers.

Please note though that this is just a count of the strings on the websites so this cannot represent the actual number of job openings. A company can post their job opening on the 3 websites below and it will be counted as 3 (one for each site below) instead of 1. Also, some jobs list several certifications on their posting, e.g. CISSP, CISA, CEH certified, so an open position with this criteria will have a count for each of the InfoSec certification listed, i.e. 1 for CISSP, 1 for CISA and 1 for CEH, even though the open position is only 1.

CareerBuilder.com
CCNA - 755
CISA - 468
CISSP - 440
CISM - 108
CEH - 21
GSEC - 20
SSCP - 19

DICE.com
CCNA - 868
CISSP - 796
CISA - 279
CISM - 163
GSEC - 48
SSCP - 47
CEH - 34

Monster.com
CCNA - 861
CISSP - 768
CISA - 624
CISM - 163
SSCP - 66
GSEC - 55
CEH - 27

By the way, the job search results for CareerBuilder and Dice websites only listed the jobs posted within the last 30 days while Monster showed jobs for the last 60 days. I will try to create another count in about 2 weeks or so. Please let me know if you want me to add other InfoSec certifications or other job hunting websites on the list.

ISACA e-Symposium

This time it's for ISACA members.

ISACA is having an e-Symposium about Secure Web Access on December 16, 2008 at 11:00am EST / 4:00pm UTC. To register, please visit http://isaca.brighttalk.com.

Similar to ISC2's e-Symposium, you also have the opportunity to gain 3 CPE credits. Look for the CPE quiz link.

ISC2 e-Symposium

Calling all ISC2 members.

ISC2 is having an e-Symposium about Application Security on December 9, 2008 at 1:30pm EST / 6:30pm GMT/UTC. To register, please visit http://isc2.brighttalk.com.

You also have the opportunity to gain 3 CPE credits. Look for the CPE quiz link. I believe this will be available once all the presentations are completed. The e-Symposium is being recorded and will be available on the website above after 72 hours of the scheduled date.

SC World Congress 2008

SC Magazine is having it's SC World Congress 2008 on December 9-10 at the Javits Center in New York City. This is a must attend Conference and Expo for IT Security Professionals.

The Expo access is Free if you register online ($50 onsite registration) and conference fees are detailed on the registration website. Click here to register.

For more details about this Conference and Expo, please visit:
http://www.scmagazineus.com/SC-World-Congress/section/381/

Friendly reminder for CISA and CISM exam takers

The scheduled ISACA exam for CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) and CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) is on December 13, 2008 (Saturday).

• Candidate should report at 7:30 AM on the day of the exam
• Oral instruction starts at 8:30 AM. No candidate will be admitted once the Chief Examiner begins reading the Oral Instructions.
• Exam start/end time: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (13:00) Start time may vary slightly due to the onsite registration process
  

The registration for this scheduled exam is now closed. The next scheduled exam is on June 13, 2009.

Please do not forget to bring the following on the exam day:

• Admission ticket (you should have received this by now via mail or email)
• Valid Photo Identification (driver's license, passport or government ID). ID must be original and current.
• Several sharpened No. 2 pencils
• Eraser
  

Items not allowed at the test center:

• Any communication device (i.e., cell phone, PDA, Blackberry, etc.)

For more information about CISA, CISM or the exam, please visit ISACA's website at http://www.isaca.org

CPE opportunities

It's been a while since I posted on this blog and I apologize for that. I have a couple of CPE opportunies to list here. I found these out when I started studying for my CISA certification. The first one you can check is the ISACA's (Information Systems Audit and Control Association) online conferences. This is similar to what I posted earlier with ISC2. Visit this link for more details -> http://isaca.brighttalk.com/

If you are a member of ISACA and you are receiving their magazine Information Systems Control Journal, you can get 1 CPE credit by answering questions on http://www.isaca.org/cpequiz/. You must get a passing score or 75 percent or higher to get the CPE credit.

National Cubicle Day

I really like the movie Office Space and in honor of the National Cubicle Day, follow the link for 15 Quotable lines from the movie.

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20195463,00.html

CPE credits

For those who are looking for CPE credits, you can visit ISC2's e-Symposium website - http://isc2.brighttalk.com/. I have viewed a couple of recorded events and they are very informative.

If you have any of the ISC2's certification and you passed the quiz after attending/viewing the event, the CPE credits can be automatically added to your certification. For more information, click here.

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. Let us all work together and do our part in saving our planet.

Try the 2008 Earth day challenge below.
http://www.earthlab.com/signupprofile/ecp.htm?ver=9

Additional information on how we can save the Earth.
http://wecansolveit.org/
http://www.epa.gov/earthday/
http://earth911.org/
http://www.plantabillion.org/

Recycle your old phones:
http://www.epa.gov/cellphones/cell-recycling-locations.htm

CISSP

The first InfoSec certification that I am posting is the Certified Information Systems Security Professional or CISSP. This certification is governed by (ISC)2 (short for International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). The information below is only a summary of the requirements. For complete details, please visit the (ISC)2 website.

Certification Description: The certification is for experienced professionals who have direct information systems (IS) security-related work. Click here for details.

Requirements to be able to take the exam: Click here for details.
- Subscribe to the (ISC)² Code of Ethics
- Must have at least five years of direct work experience in two or more of the ten domains of the Common Body of Knowledge (CBK).

Information Systems Security Common Body of Knowledge (CBK):
- Access Control
- Application Security
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning
- Cryptography
- Information Security and Risk Management
- Legal, Regulations, Compliance and Investigations
- Operations Security
- Physical Security
- Security Architecture and Design
- Telecommunications and Network Security

Examination Details:
- Fee: The CISSP exam costs $499 (early registration) or $599 (standard registration). The fees may change so please check this page for the latest information.
- Schedules (including seminar) and locations: Click here for details.

Maintenance and Recertification:
- 120 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) must be earned every three years.
- An Annual Maintenance Fee of $85

Starting April 30, 2008, a minimum of 20 CPEs should be posted every year (120 CPE per 3 years still required). The Annual Maintenance Fee (US$85) should still be paid each year.

Concentrations: Click here for details.
ISSAP – Concentration in Architecture
ISSEP – Concentration in Engineering
ISSMP – Concentration in Management

Exams for this certification are held frequently. Good luck to all of those taking the exam!

Good day!!!

It is almost summer again here in the U.S. and most of us will be travelling around (even though gas prices are so expensive nowadays). I am starting a blog about my summer trips and future trips after that. Since this blog is about Information Security Certifications, I will be posting pictures of me with any of my CISSP books below and also my Office Space T-shirt.

I will also try to post information about InfoSec Certifications like CISSP, SSCP, CISA, CISM, GIAC, Security+, etc. This Information Technology field has been growing rapidly and it is difficult to keep up with the changes and I hope this blog will be able to point you to the right places where to get more information about these certifications.

I hope everybody is having a great day!!!